This is the strange season that is not quite winter, but not quite yet spring – – warm one day, then a snowstorm the next. Comics, however, have no season – they’re good year round!
This month, we catch up on the two series we looked at last month while adding in a new one: Moriarty: Clockwork Empire!
Titan Comics News and Announcements
March and April 2023 Release Schedule
Below is Titan’s current release schedule for this month and the following month. Please note release dates are always subject to change.
March 2023
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- Bash! Vol. 1 March 7th
- Endless Space 2: Stories: March 7th
- Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia Part 2. Vol.5: March 14th
- Moriarity: Clockwork Empire #2: March 22nd
- Astroneer: Countdown Vol. 1: March 28th
- Kamen Rider Zero-One #3: March 29th
April 2023
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- ATOM: The Beginning Vol. 4: April 11th
- Gun Honey Vol. 2: Blood for Blood Vol. 2: April 11th
- Moriarty: Clockwork Empire #3 : April 19th
- Blade Runner 2039 #4 : April 19th
- NOUNS #1: April 26th
Here There Be Dragons in The Rivers of London
Is there a dangerous monster hunting London? And what connection could it have to . . . Jimi Hendrix? The only place where such a strange connection exists is in the the world of Rivers of London. And indeed, that peculiar connection will come forth in the next comic series, Rivers of London: Here There Be Dragons. You can find out more about this new series in this interview with series creators Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel from Forbidden Planet. And watch for more details on creative teams and release dates here in PUBWATCH!
Gun Honey Goes Burlesque
The newest series from the world of Gun Honey takes on a period flair with the 1950s burlesque-themed Noir Burlesque. It’s a heist gone wrong in 1950s New York, and it’s time to pay some debts. Throw in a little bit of star-crossed romance and desire for vengeance, and you have all the ingredients for the most iconic of noir stories.
Enrico Marini, writer and artist on Batman: The Dark Prince Charming, will bring the world of Noir Burlesque to life this September. And we have a look at some of the interior art above.
Shine More Light on Dead by Daylight
In our October/November PUBWATCH, we shared news of a new series based on the horror video game Dead by Daylight. The debut issue of that series will drop on May 24, 2023, and you can check out an art preview above, along with a trailer for the series.
Dead by Daylight #1, written by Nadia Shammas (Ms. Marvel) and illustrated by Dillon Snook (The Bluefall), the series will explore the origins of The Legion through the eyes of several teenagers and their sleepy town. There’s nothing like your typical teenage angst . . . but throw in some lawlessness and things get very interesting.
The comic will also feature an in-game charm that readers can unlock inside the issue.
Plan your Summer (and beyond) Reading with New Titan Graphic Novels
Graphic novel readers have much to look forward to this summer and fall with three new graphic novels covering a wide variety of subjects.
The first is the eco-horror story from Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis, Mother Nature. Originally set to debut in November 2022, the graphic novel will now drop in July. We reported on the details on Curtis’s graphic novel debut in our February/March 2022 PUBWATCH. This month, now we have a trailer to bring you closer to the world of Nova Terrell, the Cobalt Corporation, and all the secrets of Catch Creek, New Mexico.
Underground music lovers can dive into icons of the genre such as Patti Smith, Yma Sumac, and more, in the September graphic novel Underground: Cursed Rockers and High Priestesses of Sound. Writer Arnaud Le Gouëfflec and artist Nicolas Moog, both musicians and fans of underground music, provide extensive looks of those trailblazers named above and many more. The book is already receiving advance praise, with Rolling Stone describing it as a work that “manages, through its many anecdotes and its sense of storytelling, to open the doors to incredible worlds.”
And the following month, film fans have the chance to explore the career of the director who brought the world of Reservoir Dogs, Django Unchained, and many other films to life. The new graphic biography Quentin by Tarantino weaves through the twists and turns of Tarantino’s career, starting with his video store beginnings to international cinematic stardom. Created by writer, artist, and Tarantino fan Amazing Améziane, Quentin by Tarantino captures this Oscar winner’s life with the unique style that made him famous. Quentin by Tarantino drops in bookstores and comic shops on October 17th, 2023.
What I’m Reading
We catch up on the latest adventures in Blade Runner and Kamen Rider Zero-One, and take a look at the debut of the newest Sherlock Holmes comic, Moriarty: Clockwork Empire.
(Note that our reviews may contain spoilers, so proceed carefully!)
Blade Runner 2039 #3
Mellow Brown (writer), Jim Campbell (letterer), Andres Guinaldo (artist), Mike Johnson (writer), Marco Lesko (colorist)
February 8, 2023
Cleo is back in Los Angeles, and she wants to find Isobel What she will find instead is a changed world from the one she left as a child, Ash is also a woman in search of answers, visiting her old friend Lydia Wojciech for some details on Luv. But Lydia warns that the danger is not in that Replicant: it is in its creator, who is looking to play God. Two women on a search for elusive answers whose paths eventually cross. And it looks like Ash will have to protect Cleo once more from forces that want her in their clutches.
In our look at the first two issues, color was one of the storytelling elements that stood out. And that same element stands out in issue #3, particularly in the look of a grown Cleo. Although a wife and mother, Andres Guinaldo and Marco Lesko bathe Cleo in pure innocence: soft lines, curly hair, whites, and pale pinks in her face and wardrobe. It stands in contrast to the darker, angular, hardened face of Ash, the Los Angeles that bathes itself in noir cyberpunk, and the macabre violence that is part of daily life. Cleo is that reminder of an innocence gone by that this city and its people hoped to forget.
Cleo also bridges what was the parallel stories of Luv and Ash. She provides a catalyst and a common link for each of them – and perhaps a deeper link for Luv. Take a closer look at a photo of a curly-haired woman in Luv’s office. It bears a bit of similarity to the adult Cleo. Could it be Cleo or a younger Isobel, suggesting Luv is in fact Isobel and Cleo’s mother? It’s a captivating question to consider and perhaps gives new motivations to Luv’s missions. The Replicant that obeys at any cost now has that reason to go against the directive.
We might find out these questions in the next and penultimate issue of the series, as we continue to ponder the larger moral and ethical themes that Blade Runner comics provide.
Moriarty: Clockwork Empire #1
Lauren Bowes (letterer), Fred Duval (writer), Jean-Pierre Pecau (writer), Scarlett (colorist), Stevan Subic (penciler and inker)
February 22, 2023
The world of Sherlock Holmes goes steampunk as the detective and his trusty assistant Watson find themselves entangled in Victorian excess. In one part of London, there’s a massacre at an opium den. In another, Sherlock manages to trick the card-playing automaton at the Diogenes Club into revealing its secrets. By the end of the night, these two separate events collide as a monster takes to the streets of London hell-bent on chaos. It’s time for Holmes and Watson to get on the case.
This series was originally published in French, which has its perks and its drawbacks. One of those perks is in the artwork. The French comics tradition revels in rich artistic detail, and that’s on full display here. Subic’s pencils and inks know just when to apply light and dark in balance here to bring Victorian London to life. Steampunk elements come into this world subtly, complementing it but not taking it over. Colorwork from Scarlett leans into those classic earth tones of steampunk beautifully.
The drawback to this comes in the translation. This comic is dense in text. And when combined with all that detailed artwork, the experience is overwhelming to the eye. Creative panel layouts help ensure that text boxes themselves do not compete with that art, but it’s the text inside them that proves quite formidable. You’ll want to read this issue more than once to ensure that you’re not missing any key details in the case. That said, Duval and Pecau have the voice and tone of their characters on point.
Sherlock Holmes stories are nothing short of timeless today. Translation hiccups aside, this series looks to be a fine addition to that canon.
Kamen Rider Zero-One #3
Andworld Design’s Jame (letterer), David Clarke (story and original characters), Brandon Easton (writer), Hendry Prasetya (artist), Bryan Valenza (colorist)
March 29, 2023
It’s right back to the action in Kamen Rider Zero-One #3 with Aruto and Izu in the heat of battle and thinking fast since their Progrise keys don’t appear to be much help. Once everyone gets to safety, it’s time to take stock of the situation. And it’s not a pretty situation. The magia they fought are destroyed, but there’s something else about to be destroyed: Aruto’s career. The board of directors at Hiden wants their CEO out, thanks to too much bad PR and investor discomfort with recent events. But no time for Aruto to clean out his desk. There’s rogue magia to investigate. And those could be the key to saving his job and family legacy, and of course, defeating Ragnarok.
This series has had to walk a fine line between delivering anime action and character development in the right proportion to capture both new and existing fans of the series. And for the most part, it’s been done pretty well. There’s been just enough in the script to help readers understand Aruto’s struggle to prove himself, especially in the last issue. But it’s also been doled out in pieces in between action sequences. The series needs a bit of the opposite of the classic Elvis song: a little more conversation and a little less action. Now, this is not a series where people are coming for deep introspection into self. But you do need some of that to get your readers to care about your character. And it’s here, no doubt. There’s just not enough of it.
I must also give credit to the lettering work in this series. While the artwork pops in the various action sequences, it’s the letter work that brings it home. Jagged lines and bright colors on every smash, pop, and zoom give follow-through to all that action and add the necessary high stakes into the fight. The art team continues to fire on all cylinders.
In terms of what made the Kamen Rider manga famous, this series continues to deliver. But its transition to the page has hit some hiccups along the way in ways that the screen cannot.
